Functional requirements of Online Debate Platform with non-functional

Functional Requirements

1. User Registration and Authentication:
   • Allow users to create accounts using email, social media, or third-party services.
   • Provide secure login and authentication mechanisms, with options for multi-factor authentication (MFA).
   • Support role-based access control, with different roles such as participants, moderators, and administrators.
2. Profile Management:
   • Allow users to create and manage profiles, including personal information, debate history, and preferences.
   • Enable users to follow other users, view their debate activities, and manage their follower lists.
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3. Debate Creation and Management:
   • Allow users to create debates by selecting a topic, defining the format (e.g., one-on-one, team), and setting rules (e.g., time limits, number of rounds).
   • Enable users to invite others to participate in or moderate the debate.
   • Provide tools for scheduling debates and sending reminders to participants.
4. Debate Participation:
   • Allow users to join ongoing debates as participants or spectators.
   • Provide tools for participants to present their arguments, submit rebuttals, and summarize their positions.
   • Implement timers and structured turns to ensure fair participation.
5. Voting and Polling:
   • Enable users to vote on debate outcomes based on criteria such as argument strength, persuasiveness, and clarity.
   • Allow spectators to participate in live polling during debates.
   • Provide options for anonymous or public voting, depending on the debate’s rules.
6. Commenting and Discussion:
   • Allow users to comment on debates, ask questions, and engage in discussions with other participants and spectators.
   • Support threaded discussions to maintain context in conversations.
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   • Provide moderation tools to manage inappropriate comments or behavior.
7. Debate Topics and Categories:
   • Organize debates into categories and topics to facilitate easy discovery and participation.
   • Allow users to suggest new topics and vote on which topics should be debated next.
   • Provide search functionality to find debates by keywords, categories, or participants.
8. Content Moderation:
   • Implement content moderation tools to flag, review, and remove inappropriate or offensive content.
   • Allow moderators to manage user behavior, including muting, banning, or warning users who violate platform rules.
   • Provide automated tools to detect and manage spam, trolling, or hate speech.
9. Scoring and Leaderboards:
   • Implement a scoring system to evaluate participants based on their performance in debates, including votes, argument quality, and engagement.
   • Maintain leaderboards to showcase top debaters, most popular topics, and most active users.
   • Allow users to earn badges or achievements for participation, winning debates, or community contributions.
10. Recording and Archiving:
    • Record debates for later viewing, with options for participants to review their performance.
    • Archive completed debates, making them accessible for future reference or educational purposes.
    • Allow users to share recordings or highlights of debates on social media or other platforms.
11. Notifications and Alerts:
    • Send automated notifications to users for debate invitations, upcoming debates, voting reminders, and new comments.
    • Allow users to configure notification preferences, including email, SMS, and in-app alerts.
12. Integration with Social Media:
    • Enable users to share debate topics, outcomes, and highlights on social media platforms.
    • Allow users to log in using social media accounts and link their profiles for easy sharing and engagement.
    • Provide tools for embedding debates on external websites or blogs.
13. Analytics and Reporting:
    • Provide participants and moderators with detailed analytics on debate performance, including votes, engagement, and feedback.
    • Generate reports on platform usage, popular topics, and user activity.
    • Enable export of reports for further analysis or sharing with stakeholders.
14. Language Support and Translation:
    • Support multiple languages to cater to a global user base.
    • Provide translation tools for debates conducted in different languages, allowing users to participate across linguistic barriers.
15. Mobile Compatibility:
    • Ensure the platform is fully functional on mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets.
    • Provide a mobile app or a responsive web design to allow users to participate in debates on the go.

Non-Functional Requirements

1. Scalability:
   • The platform should be able to handle a growing number of users, debates, and real-time interactions without performance degradation.
   • Support for scaling to accommodate additional features, languages, and international users as the platform grows.
2. Security:
   • Implement strong encryption for data transmission and storage to protect user data and debate content.
   • Ensure secure authentication mechanisms, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), to protect user accounts.
   • Regularly update security protocols and conduct security audits to prevent data breaches.
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3. Performance:
   • Ensure that the platform provides real-time or near real-time interactions, especially during live debates and voting.
   • Optimize search, voting, and content loading times for a smooth user experience, even during peak usage.
4. Reliability and Availability:
   • Ensure high availability of the platform with minimal downtime, supported by redundancy and failover mechanisms.
   • Implement regular backups and disaster recovery procedures to prevent data loss and ensure continuity of service.
5. Usability:
   • The user interface should be intuitive, user-friendly, and accessible to users with varying levels of technical expertise.
   • Provide consistent user experience across different devices and platforms, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
6. Interoperability:
   • The platform should be compatible with third-party tools, such as video conferencing software, social media platforms, and analytics tools.
   • Support seamless data exchange with external systems using standard APIs and data formats.
7. Maintainability:
   • The platform should be easy to maintain, with clear documentation, a modular design, and support for regular updates and bug fixes.
   • Implement automated monitoring and logging to quickly identify and resolve issues.
8. Compliance:
   • Ensure the platform complies with relevant regulations and standards, such as data protection laws (e.g., GDPR) and content moderation guidelines.
   • Provide features to support auditing, data retention, and regulatory reporting requirements.
9. Data Integrity and Accuracy:
   • Ensure that all data collected and processed by the system is accurate and consistent.
   • Implement validation checks and data integrity mechanisms to prevent errors or data corruption.
10. Localization and Internationalization:
    • Support multiple languages and regional settings to cater to a global user base.
    • Allow easy adaptation of the platform to meet local regulations and practices in different countries.
11. Accessibility:
    • Ensure that the platform is accessible to users with disabilities, following web accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG).
    • Provide features such as screen reader compatibility, keyboard navigation, and adjustable text sizes.
12. Privacy and Data Ownership:
    • Ensure that users retain ownership of their data and can easily control, access, and delete their information as needed.
    • Provide transparency regarding data usage, sharing, and storage practices, with clear consent mechanisms.